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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Victory! Ban lifted on Jesus prayers in Washington

I am on the email list of Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt who jumped into the public eye a few years ago for refusing to bend to a military directive that forbad Chaplains from praying in Jesus’ Name. Chaplain Klingenschmitt was forced out of the Navy for praying in Jesus’ Name.

Below is the Pray in Jesus’ Name Project email I received today which proclaims a victory and explains the battle to enable public situations under local, State and Federal auspices to pray in Jesus’ Name.

I have an amazing victory to report. YOUR PETITIONS have been heard and YOU helped restore freedom to pray "in Jesus' name," changing law or policy in our 12th state, when the formerly anti-Jesus Mayor of Longview Washington repented, and joined a slim 4-3 majority vote to lift his own ban that forbid pastors from praying "in Jesus' name" before city council meetings.

Last month we had reported the mayor of Longview, Washington had banned prayers "in Jesus' name" before city council meetings, because an atheist complainer threatened to sue, reported Seattle Times.

So we took action. Our activist email readers, maybe even YOU called the anti-Jesus mayor, Don Jensen to demand the word "Jesus" should not be banned as illegal speech if uttered during a prayer by any visiting pastor, during the invocation before city meetings.

The Mayor Don Jensen not only voted the right way, he sent one of our friends an email message (shown in the video) explaining why he restored freedom to pray "in Jesus' name." (Let's call Mayor Jensen to say "thank you" (phone 360-442-5004).

The city council vote on 28 March followed my private email to the Mayor's attorney James McNamara, who received my notification on 27 March that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled unanimously that the First Amendment PROTECTS citizens and governments' right to allow Jesus prayers before government meetings, so long as other faith groups are also invited to give an invocation, letting each pray publicly according to the dictates of conscience.

Since 2006, your donations to our activism have helped change law in 12 states, reversing anti-Jesus prayer bans in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, California, Hawaii and now Washington State. (All this after the U.S. Congress restored freedom for chaplains after I was wrongly punished for praying "in Jesus' name in uniform as a Navy Chaplain in 2006).

If you care about freedom to pray "in Jesus' name," please phone or email all 7 members of the Pittsylvania Virginia County board of supervisors. Their names, emails, and phone numbers are listed here. Say these words: "Please appeal the bad court decision of the anti-Jesus judge who banned free speech. Defend peoples' right to pray in Jesus' name."

Here's why: An anti-Jesus judge has just banned freedom of speech, and told county supervisors they cannot allow anyone to pray "in Jesus' name" when giving the invocation or benediction at public meetings, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Watch Dr. Chaps' TV commentary on this anti-Jesus ban in Pittsylvania VA, starting at the 16:06 mark.

"A federal judge Tuesday permanently barred the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors from offering sectarian Christian prayers during its meetings. U.S. District Judge Michael Urbanski issued the ruling Tuesday, giving a victory to Pittsylvania County resident Barbara Hudson and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, who represented Hudson. Hudson filed the lawsuit in September 2011.

"The case law in this jurisdiction is crystal clear," ACLU Legal Director Rebecca Glenberg said Wednesday. "Governments may not have sectarian prayers at their meetings." [Dr. Chaps' comment...sectarian means speaking the illegal word "Jesus."]

"I expect to speak to the board to decide what the next move will be," he said. Board Chairman Marshall Ecker said of the decision, "If it was up to me, I would contest it." The ruling infringes on individual rights and Jesus’ name is being taken out of everything, Ecker said. Hudson contended that the sectarian prayers violated the First Amendment, amounting to government advancement of religion."

The ACLU has reportedly sued Rowan County North Carolina to stop legislators from praying or allowing pastors to pray "in Jesus' name" before council meetings. But thank God, the supervisors voted 5-0 to defend the lawsuit, and stood with 82% of polled voters who want to defend free speech. One pastor, Bill Godair, even raised $10,000 to buy ads on 40 billboards around the city, encouraging citizens to stand up for Jesus.

Sadly, the anti-Jesus activists are threatening around the country. Another county in Georgia recently stopped allowing the Lord's prayer to be optionally spoken before meetings, and Pueblo Colorado recently banned prayers "in Jesus' name." But Colorado Springs (my home town) still allows a variety of freedom to pray before city meetings.

We've been fighting this for 5 years, and your petitions have helped me win legal or legislative battles in 11 states, to defend or restore the right to pray in Jesus' name. My own personal lawsuit is now in it's final stages, to recover my pension and career as a former Navy Chaplain. Watch Dr. Chaps' TV commentary on each of these cases in NC, GA, and CO, where anti-Jesus prayer bans are in effect.

In 2006 I was vindicated by Congress who rescinded the Navy's "non-sectarian" prayer policy, but since that victory was not grandfathered back to my case, my stand for Jesus cost my 16 year career.

Thank God, THIS YEAR my friend Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) introduced a new bill HR 343 that could forever protect all chaplains' right to pray "in Jesus' name" when giving any invocation outside of Sunday chapel.